Primer cap feeder for shell reloader



May 23, 1967 'L- E. PONSNESS PRIMER CAP FEEDER FOR SHELL RELOADER 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 23, 1965 INVEN TOR LLOYD z. PONSNESS 4mm Max a4 ATTYS.

May 23, 1967 L. E. PONSNESS PRIMER CAP FEEDER FOR SHELL RELOADER 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 25, 1965 Q Q mm \M w M m\ (k M E 1% T w m Q m N W T v T M A QM R R N\ m \m m V1 H mm mv Kw mm H B N NM I Q m V. m mm. v m\ \N WW N MN w S m W um May 23, 1967 L. E. PONSNESS PRIMER CAP FEEDER FOR SHELL RELOADER 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Aug. 23, 1965 I INVEN TOR LLOYD E. PONSNESS BY MV/WM ATTYSJ.

United States Patent 3,320,848 PRIMER CAP FEEDER FOR SHELL RELOADER Lloyd E. Ponsness, Box 186, Rathdrum, Idaho 83858 Filed Aug. 23, 1965, Ser. No. 481,833 Claims. (Cl. 8638) The present invention relates to a device for feeding and inserting primer caps in shot shells when these shells have the spent primer cap removed. It is arranged as an attachment for a progressive reloading machine for shot shells of the type shown in my prior US. Patent No. 3,097,560.

It is the purpose of my invention to provide a primer cap feeder for shell reloaders which embodies a holder for a supply of caps with a chute for conveying the caps from the holder in a single line, a feeder head provided with a slot into which the chute conveys the leading cap, a pusher normally retracted from said slot to open it for reception of the cap, by means moving with the shell holder but released by elevation of the shell holder for removal of a spent primer cap from the shell to move the cap in the passage on to an anvil which is positioned beneath the shell holder and supports the primer cap for entry into the shell when the holder is lowered after being raised to bring the shell against a punch for removing the spent primer.

It is also a purpose of my invention to provide means in a machine of this character operable to deflect the spent primer cap away from the anvil and incoming primer cap as it falls from the shell.

Other and more detailed objects and advantages of my invention will appear from the following description and accompanying drawings of a preferred form of my invention.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a front view of a reloading machine in which my invention is incorporated;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 22 of FIGURE 1 and showing the parts at the time of removing a spent primer cap from a shell;

FIGURE 3 is a view similar to FIGURE 2 but showing the parts at the time of inserting a new primer cap in the shell;

FIGURE 4 is a side view of the primer cap feeder;

FIGURE 5 is a side view showing the other side of the cap feeder;

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 66 of FIGURE 5;

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary side view of the primer cap feeder and the adjacent parts of the reloader showing how the feeder is actuated by the reloader mechanism;

FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary plan view of the primer cap holding tray; and

FIGURE 9 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 99 of FIGURE 4.

Referring now to the drawings the machine shown in FIGURE 1 is a reloader for a shotgun shells which embodies a frame having a base 1 and having upstanding guide posts 2 which mount a shell holding unit 3 for vertical movement toward and away from a tool, powder and shot holding head 4. The head 4 is supported on the posts 2. The shell holding unit 3 embodies a non-rotatable base 5 and a rotatable support 6 thereon which has shell holders 7 thereon. Various tools including a punch 8 for removing spent primer caps from shells are mounted on the head 4. These tools and their functions and the powder and shot containers such as container 9 in FIG- URE 1 are known and are described in my prior patent mentioned above. The means for raising and lowering the unit 3 are indicated as a shaft 10, having a hand lever 11 and two lever arms 12 and 13 thereon which are connected by links 14 and 15 to the unit 3. More detailed description of these parts is given in my prior patent mentioned above.

A pedestal 16 on the base 1 is bored to receive a primer cap feeder unit 17. A supply of primer caps is carried in a holder such as a tray 18 which is suitably supported in an inclined position on the head 4. The holder 18 has a guide block 19 therein which can be changed to fit different sizes of primer caps. A chute 20 leads from the holder 18 to the feeder unit 17 and is curved in such fashion that the primer caps indicated at C are presented, flange down, to the unit 17. The inclination of the holder tray 18 causes the primer caps to feed into the chute 20 past the block 19 in response to the vibrations of the machine that are caused by operation of the lever 11 to raise and lower the shell holding unit 3.

The pedestal 16 has a post 21 with a sleeve 22 thereon held elevated by a spring 23. This post is used as described in my prior patent to mount a shell preparatory to its being moved into a holder 7 through a slot 24 in the member 5. The member 5 has a second slot 25 therein to cooperate with the unit 17 as will be presently explained. A deflector pan 26 is pivoted to a bracket 27 mounted on the under side of the member 5. This pan inclines, as shown in FIGURE 1 across the slot 25 when the unit 3 is raised to deflect a spent cap removed from a shell by the punch 8 laterally so it cannot strike the unit 17. The member 5 is recessed at 28 so the pan 26 can be pushed into this recess out of the way of the unit 17 when the member 5 is lowered.

The unit 17 comprises a block 30 which has a depending portion 31. This portion 31 is bored to receive an anvil pin 32 and a spring 33. A cylindrical support 34 has its lower portion reduced in diameter to seat in the pedestal 16. The spring 33 extends down to the support 34 and seat thereon. The lower portion of the pin 32 seats in the support 34 at a level which causes the top surface of the pin to push a cap C into seating position in a shell 5 in the shell holder. The head of the pin 32 is enlarged to seat against part 35 of the block portion 31. The spring 33 seat-s against the lower sunfiace of the part 35. A set screw 36 secures the pin 32 against upward movement in the support 32. The block 30 has a cap guiding passage 44 in the top thereof. A screw 37 is threaded into the bottom of the support 34 and held by a lock nut 38. The function of the screw 37 is to provide a fine adjustment for the seating of the caps in a shell. The head of the screw engages the bottom of the bore in the pedestal 16 to determine the position of the anvil pin 32. Thus by turning the screw 37 and locking it again the pin 32 can be adjusted up or down. The spring 33 permits the top of the end of the block 30 to be depressed to the level of the top of pin 32 by the shell.

The block 30 has a cross slot 40 which intersects the passage 44 and which leads to the lower end of the chute 20. The chute 20 actually extends into the block 30 as shown in FIGURE 9. The slot 40 is undercut at 41 to [receive the flange of the cap C. The block 30 is raised at 42 to a height to assure guiding the cap C properly in the slot 40. Also this provides a wall to guide the cap C and to guide an undercut pusher bar 43 that slides endwise along the passage 44 to push the cap C from the slot 40 to the end of the passage 44 and locate it over the anvil pin 32. The bar 43 is held against rising by a cross bar 45 which is removably secured on the block 30 by a screw 46.

The block 30 is bored to seat a spring 47 which has its inner end abutting a depending lug 48 on the bar 43, a slot 49 being provided beneath the bar 43 in the block 30 for the lug 48. A screw 50 holds the spring in the block 30.

The block 30 also has an elongated slot 51 in its side leading to the passage 44. The bar 43 has a pin 52 thereon extending through the slot and serving to mount a cam roller 53. The member 5 carries a cam 54 which on the down stroke of the unit 3 pushes the roller 53 back to bring the end of the pusher bar 43 back far enough to allow a cap C to feed from the chute 20 through the cross slot 40 into the passage 44. Then when the unit 3 is elevated again the spring 47 causes the bar 43 to advance the cap C along the passage 4436 to a position centered over the anvil pin 32. I also provide on the block 30 a cut off device 55 which can be lowered to prevent caps C from entering the cross slot 40. This device 55 is a spring steel hand lever pivoted on the block 30 by a pivot pin 56 and bent at 57 so it will frictionally engage the block 30 when lowered but will not drop down into the pat-h of a cap C when it is raised by hand to the position shown in FIGURES 4 and 5.

The operation of the feeder is believed to be clear from the foregoing description. It forms an operating part of the shell reloader although it is readily removed therefrom. When a shell is moved beneath the punch 8 and the unit 3 is raised to remove the spent primer cap this movement releases the pusher bar 43 so it can push a new primer cap C into place. The spent cap cannot interfere for it is reflected by the pan 26. Then when the unit 3 is loweaed the cam 54 engages the roller 53 and moves the pusher bar 43 back to allow another primer cap C to enter the passage 44 for feeding forward on the next elevation of the unit 3.

It is believed that the nature and advantages of my invention will be clear from the foregoing description.

I claim:

1. A primer cap feeder for shot shell reloaders having a frame, a shell holder mounted for vertical reciprocation on said frame and having a primer cap punch over the shell holder operable when the shell holder is raised to punch out the primer cap said feeder comprising:

a cap holder on said frame;

a chute leading from said holder having an open side defined Iby inturned flanges, which flanges confine the flanges of flanged primer caps in said chute so as to guide the flanged primer caps in a single line from said holder to a point below said shell holder;

a cap feeder block positioned on said frame with one end beneath the shell holder and provided with a slot of a cross-sectional shape conforming to the shape of a flanged primer cap, said slot meeting and aligned with said chute to receive a cap therefrom;

said block having a passage leading from said slot to the end thereof for carrying a cap from the slot to a position vertically beneath the shell holder;

an anvil in said end vertically aligned with the center of the shell holder;

pusher means on the block operable to move a cap along said passage from the slot to the anvil, and

means on the shell holder operable by downward move- *ment of the shell holder to retract said last named means as the shell holder is lowered to the anvil.

2. The invention defined in claim 1 wherein the pusher means is a bar slidably mounted on the block and a spring in the block urging the bar toward the anvil end of the block.

3. The invention defined in claim 1 wherein said shell holder has a spent cap deflector therein directly beneath the center of a shell in the holder; and

said deflector is movable on the holder as the holder is lowered over the anvil end of the block, out of the way of the anvil end.

4. The invention defined in claim 1 wherein the means on the shell holder to retract the pusher means is a calm blade, and the pusher means has a cam roller aflixed thereto in the path of said cam.

5. The invention defined in claim 1 wherein a manually operable stop is mounted on said block for movement across said slot to prevent caps from passing into the slot from the chute.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 4/1964 Dicken 86-45 10/1964 Fratila 86-38 

1. A PRIMER CAP FEEDER FOR SHOT SHELL RELOADERS HAVING A FRAME, A SHELL HOLDER MOUNTED FOR VERTICAL RECIPROCATION ON SAID FRAME AND HAVING A PRIMER CAP PUNCH OVER THE SHELL HOLDER OPERABLE WHEN THE SHELL HOLDER IS RAISED TO PUNCH OUT THE PRIMER CAP SAID FEEDER COMPRISING: A CAP HOLDER ON SAID FRAME; A CHUTE LEADING FROM SAID HOLDER HAVING AN OPEN SIDE DEFINED BY INTURNED FLANGES, WHICH FLANGES CONFINE THE FLANGES OF FLANGED PRIMER CAPS IN SAID CHUTE SO AS TO GUIDE THE FLANGED PRIMER CAPS IN A SINGLE LINE FROM SAID HOLDER TO A POINT BELOW SAID SHELL HOLDER; A CAP FEEDER BLOCK POSITIONED ON SAID FRAME WITH ONE END BENEATH THE SHELL HOLDER AND PROVIDED WITH A SLOT OF A CROSS-SECTIONAL SHAPE CONFORMING TO THE SHAPE OF A FLANGED PRIMER CAP, SAID SLOT MEETING AND ALIGNED WITH SAID CHUTE TO RECEIVE A CAP THEREFROM; SAID BLOCK HAVING A PASSAGE LEADING FROM SAID SLOT TO THE END THEREOF FOR CARRYING A CAP FROM THE SLOT TO A POSITION VERTICALLY BENEATH THE SHELL HOLDER; AN ANVIL IN SAID END VERTICALLY ALIGNED WITH THE CENTER OF THE SHELL HOLDER; PUSHER MEANS ON THE BLOCK OPERABLE TO MOVE A CAP ALONG SAID PASSAGE FROM THE SLOT TO THE ANVIL, AND MEANS ON THE SHELL HOLDER OPERABLE BY DOWNWARD MOVEMENT OF THE SHELL HOLDER TO RETRACT SAID LAST NAMED MEANS AS THE SHELL HOLDER IS LOWERED TO THE ANVIL. 